Abstract: A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics algorithm is developed to study chemical nonequilibrium flowfield in a standard model, ELECTRE, for which flight data exits. A finite rate chemistry model based on Dunn and Kang's model is implemented. An extensive investigation on catalysis modeling relevance simulations with non-catalytic wall conditions as well as with full catalytic boundary conditions is made. The method developed is used to compute detailed flow features of hypersonic flow around forebody of a sphere-cone vehicle under different attack angles and altitudes. It is shown that reacting gas numerical results are consistent with flight data. It shows that real gas effects are prominent in thin shock wave layers closing to the wall surface. It makes outstanding distance of shock wave short. Heat flux under full catalytic wall boundary condition is higher than that under non-catalytic condition. The greater the attack angle,the more obvious this variance and the less electron number density on the wall. The higher the flight altitude,the lower dissociation of oxygen and nitrogen,and the lower heat flux on stagnation point.

Key words: standard model, chemical nonequilibrium, flight test, shock layer, heat flux